Carrie Underwood
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Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' in 2005. Her single " Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, '' Some Hearts'' (2005), was bolstered by the successful
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
singles " Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "
Before He Cheats "Before He Cheats" is a song by American singer Carrie Underwood from her debut studio album, ''Some Hearts'' (2005). Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, it was released as the fourth single from the album. The song tells the story of a woman ...
", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, '' Carnival Ride'' (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, '' Play On'' (2009), was preceded by the single " Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100. She achieved the second best-selling release by a woman in 2012 and won a Grammy Award with her fourth album, '' Blown Away'' (2012). Her compilation '' Greatest Hits: Decade#1'' (2014) spawned the crossover single " Something in the Water". Her fifth studio album, '' Storyteller'' (2015), made her the only country artist to have all first five studio albums reach either numbers one or two on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. With her sixth album, '' Cry Pretty'' (2018), she became the only woman to top the ''Billboard'' 200 with four country albums and had the biggest week for any album by a woman in 2018. She released her first
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project, '' My Gift'', in 2020, and first
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collection, '' My Savior'', in 2021, to critical acclaim. Her 2022 studio album, '' Denim & Rhinestones'', marked a return to her country pop sound. Underwood has sold 70 million records worldwide. She is the seventh highest-certified female artist and the highest-certified female country artist of all time on the RIAA's Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking, also being the female artist with the most number-one entries (16) on the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay chart. Her accolades include eight Grammy Awards, 12 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, 17 American Music Awards, five
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and inductions into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry. '' Billboard'' ranked her the top female country artist of the 2000s and 2010s, and ''Some Hearts'' the top country album of the 2000s. ''
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'' applauded her as "the female vocalist of her generation in any genre", ''
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'' listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014 and ''
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'' declared her the most successful ''American Idol'' winner. Outside of music, Underwood has ventured into fashion and writing, releasing her fitness clothing line CALIA by Carrie in 2015 and the ''New York Times'' best-selling fitness and lifestyle book ''Find Your Path'' in 2020.


Early life

Carrie Marie Underwood was born on March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Carole (''
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Shatswell) and Steve Underwood. She has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie, and was raised on her parents' farm in the nearby rural town of Checotah. Her father worked in a paper mill while her mother taught elementary school. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show, and sang at her local church, First Free Will Baptist Church. She later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settler's Day and the
Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquarter ...
. A local admirer arranged for her to go to Nashville when she was 14 to audition for
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
.Biography Today, p.144 In 1996, Capitol Records was preparing a contract for Underwood but canceled it when company management changed. Underwood said of the event, "I honestly think it's a lot better that nothing came out of it now, because I wouldn't have been ready then. Everything has a way of working out." While at Checotah High School, she was an Honor Society member, a cheerleader, and played basketball and softball.Biography Today, p.145 Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as
salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tr ...
. She chose not to pursue singing after graduation. She said, "After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the 'real world'". She attended
Northeastern State University Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of high ...
in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, graduating '' magna cum laude'', in 2006, with a bachelor's degree in
mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...
and an emphasis in journalism. She spent part of one of her summers as a page for Oklahoma State Representative Bobby Frame. She also waited tables at a pizzeria, worked at a zoo, and worked at a veterinary clinic. Underwood is an alumna of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. For two summers, she performed in Northeastern State University's Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.


Career


2004–2005: ''American Idol''

In mid-2004, Underwood auditioned for ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' in St. Louis,
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, singing
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
's " I Can't Make You Love Me". After she sang " Could've Been" by Tiffany on the top 12 girls night, judge Simon Cowell commented that she would be one of the favorites to win the competition. During the top 11 finalists' performance on the March 22, 2005, ''Idol'' episode, Underwood sang a rendition of the number one 1980s rock hit " Alone", made famous by
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...
, and Cowell predicted that Underwood would not only win the competition, but she would also outsell all previous ''Idol'' winners. One of the show's producers later said she dominated the voting, winning every week by a large margin. She gained a fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during the course of the show. During the final, she sang with
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cou ...
on " Bless the Broken Road". On May 25, 2005, Underwood became the season four winner. Her winnings included a recording contract worth at least a million dollars, use of a private jet for a year, and a
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
convertible.


2005–2007: ''Some Hearts'' and breakthrough

Underwood's music career began with the release of her first single, " Inside Your Heaven", on June 14, 2005. The song debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with Underwood becoming only the third artist to debut in the top slot since chart policy changed in 1998. She also broke ''Billboard'' chart history as the first country music artist ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100 and the song became the first song from a country artist to go to number one on the Hot 100 since country group Lonestar's " Amazed" did so in 2000. "Inside Your Heaven" is the only single by a solo country artist in the decade of 2000–2009 to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It also debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Pop 100 and on the Canadian Singles Chart, topping it for seven consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running number one single of 2005 in Canada. It sold nearly one million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA and double platinum by the CRIA. Underwood's debut album, '' Some Hearts'', was released on November 15, 2005, entering the ''Billboard'' charts with 315,000 copies sold, debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums and at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. The large first week sales of ''Some Hearts'' made it the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1991. ''Some Hearts'' became the best-selling album of 2006 in all genres in the United States. The album was also the best-selling country album of both 2006 and 2007, making Underwood the first female artist in ''Billboard'' history to earn back-to-back honors for Top Country Album. Additionally, it was the best-selling female country album of 2005, 2006, and 2007. ''Some Hearts'' has since become the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era, the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, the best-selling Country album of the last 14 years, and the best-selling album by an ''American Idol'' alumni in the US. The album is certified nine times platinum by the RIAA, the highest album certification of any country artist to emerge since 2000. The album's second single, " Jesus, Take the Wheel" was released to radio in October and later peaked at number one on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, topping it for six consecutive weeks, and at number twenty on the Hot 100. The song sold over two million copies and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. Underwood's third single, " Some Hearts", was also released in October, but exclusively to pop radio, peaking in the top thirty of the adult contemporary charts. "
Don't Forget to Remember Me "Don't Forget to Remember Me" is a song written by Morgane Hayes (now known as Morgane Stapleton), Kelley Lovelace and Ashley Gorley, and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in March 2006 as the fourth sin ...
", her fourth single, also proved successful, reaching number two on the Hot Country Songs chart. Later that autumn, Underwood's third country single, "
Before He Cheats "Before He Cheats" is a song by American singer Carrie Underwood from her debut studio album, ''Some Hearts'' (2005). Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, it was released as the fourth single from the album. The song tells the story of a woman ...
", hit number one on ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, staying there for five consecutive weeks. The song peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, achieving the slowest climb ever to the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, breaking the record that was previously held by
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...
from July 2000. In February 2008, when it was certified double Platinum, "Before He Cheats" became the first country song to ever be certified multi-platinum. It has now been certified five times Platinum, selling more than four million copies, and is the fourth best-selling country digital song of all time. On April 11, 2007, Underwood continued her streak of top Country singles with the release of " Wasted", which peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, sold more than one million copies and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. In August 2008, the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" ringtone was reported to have been certified Platinum, making Underwood the first country artist ever to have two songs hit Platinum Mastertone status together with "Before He Cheats", which had been certified earlier in 2007. Underwood started her first headlined tour, Carrie Underwood: Live 2006, with dates across
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, in April 2006. At the 2005 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, her hit song " Inside Your Heaven" won the coveted Top-Selling Hot 100 Song of the Year award and also Top-Selling Country Single of the Year award, and she won Country Single Sales Artist of the Year. At the 2006
Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academ ...
, she won Top New Female Vocalist and Single of the Year, for "Jesus, Take the Wheel". At the 2006 Country Music Association Awards, she won both the Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year) and Female Vocalist of the Year. At the 2006 CMT Awards, Underwood won both the Breakthrough Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for "Jesus, Take The Wheel". She later won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at the American Music Awards, and was also nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist. She won five awards at the 2006 ''Billboard'' Music Awards that December, including the coveted Album of the Year, Top 200 Female Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist, New Country Artist, and Country Album of the Year. That year, Underwood also won a Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year, for "Jesus, Take The Wheel". At the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
Awards in 2007, Underwood won Album of the Year, Video of the Year, and Female Vocalist of the Year. She was nominated for "World's Best Selling New Artist" at the 2006 World Music Awards. At the 2007 CMT Awards in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, on April 16, Underwood's "Before He Cheats" won three awards, including Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year. Underwood won two awards at the
2007 Country Music Association Awards The 2007 Country Music Association Award, 41st Ceremony, was held on November 7, 2007, at the Sommet Center (later the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony did not feature a host, but artists and guests introduced and presented ...
: Female Vocalist of the Year, for the second consecutive time, and Single Record of the Year, for "Before He Cheats". In 2007, at the
49th Grammy Awards The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2005 and ending September 30, 2006 in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the Staples Ce ...
, ''Some Hearts'' received four Grammy nominations and Underwood won her first two Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take the Wheel. By winning the Best New Artist Grammy Award, Underwood became only the second country artist to ever win the award in the 56-year history of the Grammy Awards, following LeAnn Rimes (1997). She sang the
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
song " Life in the Fast Lane" alongside Grammy nominees
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cou ...
. She also sang the Eagles' "
Desperado Desperado may refer to: * Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West Books * ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series * ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen * Desperado Publishing, an American independent comic book publi ...
" to honor Don Henley of The Eagles. She also paid tribute to
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...
by performing " New San Antonio Rose". At the 50th Grammy Awards, in 2008, Underwood was nominated for two more Grammys: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Before He Cheats" and
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...
, for "Oh, Love" a duet with Brad Paisley. She won one Grammy Award that night, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and performed "Before He Cheats" at the ceremony. In December 2005, Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by ''
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''. In December 2006, Underwood joined Tony Bennett, Michael Bublé, and Josh Groban to sing " For Once in My Life" on ''
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''. That same month, she paid tribute to
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
, by singing " Islands in the Stream" with
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...
(originally by Parton and Rogers) at the Kennedy Center Honors, which honored Parton that year. Underwood performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season. Underwood also performed at the 2007 Idol Gives Back concert, singing " I'll Stand By You", a cover of The Pretenders hit. Her version of the song debuted at number six on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Songs. In 2007, ''
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'' reported that Underwood earned over $7 million between June 2006 and June 2007. Also in 2007, Victoria's Secret named Underwood the Sexiest Female Musician.


2007–2009: ''Carnival Ride'' and commercial success

Underwood's second album, '' Carnival Ride'', was released in October 2007. On ''Carnival Ride'', Underwood was more involved in the songwriting process; she set up a writers' retreat at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium to collaborate with such Music Row tunesmiths as Hillary Lindsey, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, and
Gordie Sampson Gordon Francis Sampson (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer from Big Pond, Nova Scotia. Beginning his career as a performer on his hometown island of Cape Breton, both in bands and on his own, Sampson has gone on t ...
. ''Carnival Ride'' moved over 527,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one on both the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top Country Albums, as well as number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, one of the biggest first-week sales by a female artist. ''Carnival Ride'' was certified double platinum in just two months after its release in December. The album is now certified four times Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. "
So Small "So Small" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in August 2007 as the first single from her 2007 album ''Carnival Ride''. Underwood co-wrote this song with Hillary Lindsey and Luke L ...
", the first single from the album, was released in July 2007 and reached number one on '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, topping it for three consecutive weeks. " All-American Girl", the second single, also reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. The next single, " Last Name", reached number one on the Hot Country Song chart as well. This made Underwood the first female artist to have two consecutive albums each release three number ones on this chart since
Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...
in 1998. " Just a Dream", the album's next single, was released in July 2008 and later peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, staying there for two consecutive weeks. With that, Underwood became the first solo female artist to pull four number one's from one album since Twain did it with '' The Woman in Me''. The album's fifth single, " I Told You So", a duet with the original singer of the song, Randy Travis, was released in February 2009. It peaked at number two on the Country charts and number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. All singles from ''Carnival Ride'' were certified Platinum by the RIAA, for selling more than one million copies each. In January 2008, Underwood embarked on a joint tour with Keith Urban called the Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour, with dates fixed nationwide that continued through April. She then started her headlined tour, the Carnival Ride Tour, in February 2008, with dates across all North America, and ended it on December 14, 2008, playing to 1.2 million fans throughout the tour and being named the top-selling country female touring artist of 2008. At the end of 2007, Underwood topped five ''Billboard'' Year-End charts, including ''Billboard'' 200 Artist of the Year and also Country Artist of the Year. Also in late 2007, she won three American Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Country Artist, and Favorite Country Album, for ''Some Hearts''. At the 2008
Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academ ...
, she won Female Vocalist of the Year, for the 2nd consecutive time. She received two nominations for the
2008 Country Music Association Awards The 2008 Country Music Association Awards, 42nd Annual Ceremony, was held on November 12, 2008, at the Sommet Center (later the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted by CMA Award winners Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Ken ...
. Underwood and Brad Paisley co-hosted the awards show for their first year as hosts, and she walked away with the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the third consecutive year. At the ceremony, Underwood performed "Just a Dream" and was introduced by Leslie Ponder, the wife of a veteran who had died. At the 2008 American Music Awards, ''Carnival Ride'' won the Favorite Country Album award, marking her second consecutive win in the category. In 2008, Underwood won her first international award, which was "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the European Country Music Association Awards. For the 44th
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
Awards, in 2009, Underwood was nominated for four major awards. Underwood won for Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, thus making her the first woman to win the award in ten years and the 7th female to take it in the award show's four-decade run. Underwood was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 CMT Awards for "Just A Dream". In 2009, at the 51st Grammy Awards, she won, for the third year in a row, the
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes: *From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female *In ...
, for "Last Name", and performed the song at the ceremony. At the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, Underwood won her fifth Grammy Award: she won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for " I Told You So" with Randy Travis and was also nominated again for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for "Just A Dream". At the ceremony, she performed with
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
, Usher, Smokey Robinson, and Jennifer Hudson during the 3-D
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
tribute. Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich stated that Michael Jackson greatly admired Underwood, which is why she was hand-picked to perform during his tribute. On March 15, 2008, Underwood was invited by Randy Travis to become a
member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of the Grand Ole Opry. On May 10, 2008, she was officially inducted by Garth Brooks into the Grand Ole Opry. A few months earlier, she sang
Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy F ...
's classic, the title song from '' The Sound of Music'', at the 2007 ''Movies Rock: A Celebration Of Music In Film''. On October 22, 2008, Underwood unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York. In 2008, it was reported by ''
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'' that Underwood earned over $9 million between June 2007 and June 2008, being number 79 on the Top Celebrity 100 list. In 2009, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' reported that Underwood was the top earning ''American Idol'' alumnus from June 2008 to May 17, 2009. She earned more than twice as much as the second-place finisher, with estimated earnings of $14 million during this time period. She appeared on the holiday CD ''Hear Something Country Christmas 2007'' with a rendition of " Do You Hear What I Hear?". The song reached number two on the AC Chart and remained there for three consecutive weeks. She recorded the song "Ever Ever After" for the soundtrack of the 2007
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
film '' Enchanted''. Underwood co-wrote a song for ''Idol'' alum Kristy Lee Cook's major-label debut album '' Why Wait''. At the 2008 Idol Gives Back, she sang George Michael's classic "
Praying For Time "Praying for Time" is a song written and performed by British singer and songwriter George Michael, released on Epic Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States in 1990. It was the first single from his second studi ...
" and later recorded it. In November 2008, Underwood recorded a virtual and posthumous duet with
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
, on his classic " I'll Be Home For Christmas", for his 2008 album ''Christmas Duets''. Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, herself asked Underwood to do the duet: "Priscilla wanted me to do 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'", she says. "I couldn't say 'no'." In March 2009, she tracked a cover of Mötley Crüe's ballad " Home Sweet Home" for the ''American Idol'' season eight farewell theme.


2009–2012: ''Play On'' and collaborations

Underwood released her third studio album, '' Play On'', on November 3, 2009. The album debuted atop both the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top Country Albums, selling over 318,000 copies in its first week, and became, upon its release, the top-selling release of the year by a female artist, but was later overtaken by
Susan Boyle Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the Britain's Got Talent (series 3), third series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from '. Bo ...
's '' I Dreamed a Dream'' and finished the year as number two. Underwood wrote a song with pop/R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo for the album, the song, however, did not make the final tracklist. The first single from the album, " Cowboy Casanova", co-written by Underwood,
Brett James Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records ( ...
and hip hop producer Mike Elizondo, was released in September 2009. It was a huge success, jumping from number 96 to number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in its second week, one of the biggest single-week upwards on the chart of all time. It later peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart in just ten weeks, the year's fastest chart-topper by a country female and the fastest number one of her career at that time (her 2014 single "Something in the Water" topped the Hot Country Songs chart in its seventh week). "Cowboy Casanova" has sold over 2 million copies, being certified double Platinum. The album's second single, "
Temporary Home "Temporary Home" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in December 2009 as the second official single from her third studio album, '' Play On''. Before being released as a single, the ...
" hit number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and the RIAA certified it Platinum. " Undo It", Underwood's third single from ''Play On'', was released to radio in May. It was later certified Platinum and hit number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, giving Underwood her tenth number-one single on the Hot Country Songs. The fourth single from ''Play On'', "
Mama's Song "Mama's Song" is a song recorded by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, co-written by her along with Kara DioGuardi, Marti Frederiksen, and Luke Laird. It was released in September 2010 as the fourth and final single from her third st ...
", was released to country radio in September, peaking at number two on the Hot Country Songs and being certified Gold by the RIAA. The album is certified Triple Platinum. Underwood's Play On Tour started its first leg on March 11, 2010, in
Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
. The second leg of the tour started on September 25, 2010, in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
, and ended January 1, 2011, in
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
. Underwood sold out the prestigious
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
on October 2, 2010. In December 2010, ''Pollstar.com'' ranked the Play On Tour one of the Top 50 tours of 2010, at number one on the North American ranking, and number 31 worldwide. ''Billboard'' also ranked Underwood's tour at number 24 for all worldwide tours of 2010. On January 4, 2011, official statistics revealed that Underwood played to over 1 million fans throughout the tour, resulting in her being named again as the top-ranked female country touring artist of the year. At the 2009 CMA Awards, she received two nominations and co-hosted the ceremony with Brad Paisley for their second consecutive year. Underwood was nominated for six Academy of Country Music Awards. At the show's ceremony in April 2010, Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year, making her the first woman to win this award twice. Host Reba McEntire presented Underwood with the "ACM Triple Crown Award" signifying her winning Top New Artist, Top Female Vocalist, and Entertainer of the Year during her career. She was only the second Female to win the coveted "Triple Crown Award", the first being
Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artis ...
. At the
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
, Underwood walked away with Video of the Year for " Cowboy Casanova" and also won CMT Performance of the Year for "
Temporary Home "Temporary Home" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in December 2009 as the second official single from her third studio album, '' Play On''. Before being released as a single, the ...
" from ''CMT: Invitation Only presents Carrie Underwood''. Underwood won two international awards at the 8th French Country Music Awards, which were Best Female Vocalist and Video of the Year, for "Cowboy Casanova". At the 2010 American Music Awards, she won "Favorite Country Album", for " Play On", making her the only artist in the American Music Award history to have all albums awarded in the category. She co-hosted the 2010
CMA Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony ...
with Brad Paisley for the third year in a row. At the 2011 Grammy Awards, Underwood was nominated for 'Best Female Country Vocal Performance' for "
Temporary Home "Temporary Home" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in December 2009 as the second official single from her third studio album, '' Play On''. Before being released as a single, the ...
". Underwood was honored by the CMT ''Artists of the Year'' special as one of the 5 top Artists of the year in 2010 in country music. The event aired on CMT on December 3, 2010. At the 2011
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
Awards, Underwood sang with Steven Tyler both her song "Undo It" and
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
's " Walk This Way". In May 2011, Underwood was one of the seven women to be honored by the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
at the ''Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country'' special. She was recognized for being the first and only female artist in the academy's history to ever win Entertainer of the Year twice. At the ceremony,
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
introduced Underwood and presented her with the special award. He sang one of her hits, "Jesus, Take The Wheel", and joined Underwood on a rendition performance of " How Great Thou Art". The video of the performance turned into a viral sensation, reaching 3 million views on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
within two days.Carrie Underwood's 'How Great Thou Art' Moves The Masses – Our Country
. Yahoo Music (April 25, 2011); retrieved August 22, 2011.
In December 2009, ''Some Hearts'' was named the number-one Country Album of the 2000 Decade by ''Billboard'' and Underwood was the top-ranked female artist on ''Billboard'' Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list. Overall, she was ranked number 50 on the Artists of the Decade list by ''Billboard''. Also in late 2009, Underwood had her very own ''CMT Invitation Only'' and also hosted a Christmas special, ''Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special'', a two-hour variety show on Fox that featured
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
(with whom she sang a rendition duet of " I Will Always Love You") season seven ''American Idol'' champion David Cook, Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley and others. In May 2010, Underwood was selected on ''People'' magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People List for 2010. This was the 4th year in a row that she was selected for the list. Also in May, Victoria's Secret named her legs the Sexiest Legs in Hollywood. In June 2011, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine ranked Underwood as the number 11 Queen of Pop, based on a lot of criteria from 2009 until 2011. Underwood co-wrote and recorded a song titled " There's a Place for Us", the lead single from '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. Underwood and songwriters, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey, received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It was during this writing session that the trio also wrote "See You Again" for the movie; however, the song was not included in the film and Underwood kept it and pushed for its inclusion on her fourth album in 2012. In March 2011, Underwood sang
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
's " Instant Karma!" at the NBC's special ''All Together Now – A Celebration of Service'', which honored former President George H. W. Bush. At the season ten finale of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'', Underwood selected a song for contestant Lauren Alaina to sing. Underwood is featured on " Remind Me", a duet with Brad Paisley that reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, giving Underwood her eleventh number-one single on such chart and fourteenth overall. She has also a duet with Tony Bennett on his 2011 album '' Duets II'' and another duet with Randy Travis on his 2011 ''Anniversary Celebration'' album. Underwood was one of the headliners of the iHeartRadio Music Festival. The event took place on September 23 and 24, 2011. On September 19, Underwood performed " You Really Got a Hold on Me" in tribute to Smokey Robinson, as he was presented with the Ella Award at the
Society of Singers Society of Singers, (1984 – 2017), known as SOS, was an American nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization, the only one devoted exclusively to helping professional singers. History and programs SOS was co-founded in 1984 by Ginny Mancini, wido ...
annual dinner. Robinson returned the favor to Underwood by singing " My Girl" to her. At the same event, they sang together with
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...
, Natalie Cole and other artists a medley of multiple songs. In 2010, Underwood was reported by ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' to have earned over $13 million from May 2009 to May 2010, being the top-earning ''Idol''. In July 2011, Forbes reported that Underwood earned over $20 million between May 2010 and May 2011, being the top-earning ''American Idol'' alumnus for the fourth consecutive year.1. Carrie Underwood ($20 million)
Forbes.com; retrieved August 22, 2011.
She earned $5 million between 2011 and 2012. On February 4, 2012, Underwood joined Steven Tyler to record CMT's ''Crossroads'' at the Pepsi Coliseum during the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam of Super Bowl XLVI.Steven Tyler & Carrie Underwood To Team at Super Bowl XLVI Saturday Night "CMT Crossroads" Special from Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam
carrieunderwoodofficial.com, January 20, 2012
It was the highest-rated episode in seven years. On February 12, 2012, Underwood and Tony Bennett performed their duet " It Had to Be You" at the 54th Annual
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s. They also sang the song on the season two premiere of Blue Bloods in September 2011.


2012–2013: ''Blown Away'' and global tour

'' Blown Away'', Underwood's fourth album, was released on May 1, 2012. Underwood has said that this album features songs with a "darker storyline". "Blown Away" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, the Country Albums Chart and the Digital Albums chart in the US, selling more than 267,000 in its first week. The first single, " Good Girl", was released on February 23, 2012. It was officially released to Country radio on February 27, 2012. The music video for "Good Girl" premiered on '' Entertainment Tonight'' and on '' VEVO'' on March 12, 2012. The song peaked at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, giving Underwood her twelfth number-one on the chart, and was certified Double Platinum and has sold over two million copies. The song " Blown Away" was released as the second single from the album on July 9, 2012. It was a massive success, selling over 2 million copies, being certified Triple Platinum, reaching the Top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the number-one spot on the Billboard Country Airplay and the Top 2 of the Top Country Songs, where it became Underwood's 16th Top 10 hit on Hot Country Songs chart, a record among women in the tally's 68-year history. The album was the 7th best-selling album of 2012, the second best-selling country album of the year and the second best-selling release by a female artist in 2012. It has been certified Double Platinum by the RIAA and sold over 1.7 million copies in the United States alone. Underwood had her very own VH1 Unplugged (called "VH1 Presents: Carrie Underwood Unplugged") and VH1 Behind The Music episodes, which premiered October 2, 2012. For the episode, Underwood included a cover of the Coldplay song " Fix You". "
Two Black Cadillacs "Two Black Cadillacs" is a song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood, taken from her fourth studio album, '' Blown Away.'' The song served as the album's third single on November 18, 2012, through Arista Nashville. Written by Underwood, H ...
", the third single from the album, was released on November 26. It became Underwood's 17th top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, extending her own record, later peaking at number two on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and was certified Platinum. In March 2013, " See You Again" was released as the album's fourth single; it has peaked at number 2 on Country Airplay chart and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. At the 2012
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
, Underwood won the awards for Video of the Year, for "Good Girl", and Collaborative Video of the Year, for "Remind Me", her duet with Brad Paisley. She also performed "Good Girl" at the ceremony. At the 2012 American Music Awards, she won the award for Favorite Album – Country, for ''Blown Away'', and performed "Two Black Cadillacs". In early 2013, Underwood won the prize for Top Selling International Album of the Year at the 41st Country Music Awards of Australia. Also in February 2013, Underwood won her sixth
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
, for
Best Country Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is design ...
, for "Blown Away". She performed a medley of "Blown Away" and "Two Black Cadillacs" at the awards show ceremony featuring an LED-powered dress. On February 13, Underwood received two nominations for the
Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academ ...
. She won International Album of the Year at the 2013 British Country Music Awards. At the 2013
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
, Underwood won her 10th award, becoming the most awarded artist ever in CMT Music Awards history. She won Video of the Year for "Blown Away" for the fourth time, which also makes her the artist with the most wins ever in the category. During the ceremony, she paid tribute to tornado victims in Oklahoma, by performing "See You Again" backed by a choir from Nashville's Christ Church. In 2012, the first leg of the
Blown Away Tour The Blown Away Tour was the third headlining tour by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, in support of her fourth studio album ''Blown Away (album), Blown Away''. This was Underwood's first worldwide tour, with the singer performing i ...
started at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on June 21, 2012, which sold out in 90 minutes, and five shows in Australia, including a sold-out date at the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
, on July 2. The first leg of the Blown Away Tour made Underwood the best-selling female country touring artist of 2012, grossing over $29.2 million and bringing her career tour revenues to over $95 million. The tour had its own exhibition at the
Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has ama ...
, called "Carrie Underwood: The Blown Away Tour Exhibition", which ran from June 5 through November 10, 2013. The second leg of the tour started in February 2013, with shows in Ireland, an additional show in England, as part of the C2C: Country to Country festival, and several shows in North America. All dates of the second leg of the Blown Away Tour were sold out, breaking records. Underwood wrapped the Blown Away Tour in late May 2013, playing to one million fans across three continents and six countries. Her three headline arena tours have played to over 3.2 million fans combined. Underwood released ''The Blown Away Tour: LIVE'', a DVD with nearly 100 minutes of performance footage, behind-the-scene looks, interviews, and music videos from the album ''Blown Away''. The DVD was released on August 13, 2013, and is Underwood's first official DVD concert. On February 22, 2013, '' Billboard'' ranked Underwood as the 16th money maker for the period from February 2012 to February 2013. She earned close to $12 million, being ''American Idol'' Top Earner and second for female country artists. In June 2013, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' placed Underwood at number 46 on The Celebrity 100 list, reporting that she earned more than $31 million between June 2012 and June 2013, being the top-earning ''American Idol'', and also being one of the ten highest-paid women in music of 2013. On January 21, 2013, " Can't Stop Lovin' You", a song by rock band
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
with featured vocals by Underwood, was released as a single. On May 25, Underwood joined
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
onstage during the stop of the band's
50 and Counting Tour 50 & Counting was a concert tour by The Rolling Stones to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band, which started in October 2012 (with two secret club gigs in Paris) and ended in July 2013 (with two major shows at Hyde Park). History 201 ...
in Toronto, Canada. They performed " It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)". On September 22, 2013, at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, she was part of the Emmy Awards' special tribute honoring the 50th Anniversary of 1963 Television Milestones, which includes the assassination coverage of President John F. Kennedy and
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' first US appearance. She performed one of The Beatles' iconic songs, " Yesterday".


2014–2015: ''Greatest Hits: Decade #1''

Underwood confirmed that she began planning a new album in August 2013 and would start prep work sometime in 2014. Underwood told ''Billboard'', "After ''The Sound of Music'', I feel like I can really buckle down and start working on the next album." Underwood also stated she has been planning another tour, which might be toned down from her earlier ones, stating, "I haven't thought about it much because I don't know what the next album is going to sound like, but I like just standing there and singing, too. I may take a different approach, a more simple approach on the next one. I loved the energy that rock concerts had", Underwood told ''Billboard''. Underwood was featured on " Somethin' Bad" from Miranda Lambert's album ''
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
''. Released as a single, "Somethin' Bad" reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Underwood's 13th number-one on the chart. The same week, the song vaulted to number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In early 2014, she performed on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, paying tribute to
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
. Her performances were highly acclaimed by critics and even by
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
, who performed with Underwood. In September, Underwood headlined the 2014 Global Citizen Festival, alongside Jay-Z,
No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, ...
and other music acts. Her cover of R.E.M.'s " Everybody Hurts" during her performance was highly praised. She headlined the 2014 Concert for Valor in November, alongside Eminem,
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
, Foo Fighters, and other music acts, where she was backed by the Singing Sergeants of the US Air Force during the performance of "Something in the Water". Underwood was asked by Bono himself to front U2's World AIDS Day (RED) Concert, alongside U2,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
, Coldplay's Chris Martin, and
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, on December 1, 2014. She was joined on stage by U2 guitarist The Edge during a performance of her song "Change", which received acclaim. The
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
awarded Underwood the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award, for her widespread exposure through NFL
Sunday Night Football Sunday Night Football may refer to: * ''NBC Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games by NBC since 2006 * ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'', the Sunday night broadcast of American NFL games from 1987 to 2005 by ESPN * ...
, the live NBC broadcast of '' The Sound of Music Live!'', her worldwide
Blown Away Tour The Blown Away Tour was the third headlining tour by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, in support of her fourth studio album ''Blown Away (album), Blown Away''. This was Underwood's first worldwide tour, with the singer performing i ...
and her charity work with the
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the des ...
and her C.A.T.S. Foundation. At the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, Underwood won the Milestone Award, for which she had been nominated due to her chart success, especially her record of having the best starting run ever by a woman on the Country Airplay chart (18 top ten hits on the chart). ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' listed Underwood as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, placing her in the "Icons" category. She won the award for Favorite Female Country Artist at the American Music Awards, marking her eighth career AMA. She was named 2014's top female Christian artist by ''Billboard''. In 2015 at the 57th Grammy Awards, Underwood won
Best Country Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is design ...
for " Something in the Water", marking her seventh career Grammy Award. At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, she won the award for Top Christian Song for "Something in the Water". At the 2015
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
, Underwood won three awards, including Video of the Year for "Something in the Water". She won her ninth American Music Award in 2015, winning Favorite Female Country Artist. Underwood's first greatest hits compilation, '' Greatest Hits: Decade#1'', was released on December 9. The album's lead single, " Something in the Water", became a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
success. It reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming her fourteenth number-one hit on that chart and her second in 2014. With fourteen number ones, she holds the record as the female country artist with the most number-one hits on the Hot Country Songs chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era (since 1991) in the '' Guinness Book''. The song topped the
Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...
chart and has held the top spot for multiple consecutive weeks. It debuted at number 24 on the Hot 100 chart as well. The song set and broke multiple airplay records on Country radio in its first week. In February 2015, " Little Toy Guns" was released as the second single from the compilation. The track peaked at number six on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, number two on the Country Airplay Chart and number 47 on the Hot 100. The song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards. The compilation debuted with the biggest sales debut for a hits collection in any genre of music in more than six years and the biggest first-week sales for a female hits album in any genre in over nine years. She earned $10 million between 2013 and 2014, topping Forbes' list of the top-earning ''American Idol''s, and $8 million between 2014 and 2015.


2015–2017: ''Storyteller'', label change, and injury

Underwood returned to the studio to finish her fifth studio album in the spring of 2015. '' Storyteller'' was released on October 23, 2015, and the lead single, " Smoke Break" was released to radio in August. ''Storyteller'' debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, making Underwood the first country artist to have their first five studio albums debut at numbers one or two on the ''Billboard'' 200. In addition, the album debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart, earning Underwood another record as the first artist to score six consecutive number-one albums on that chart. ''Storyteller'' has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album's second single, " Heartbeat", became Underwood's 14th leader on the Country Airplay while the album's third single, " Church Bells", became her 15th career number one on the Country Airplay chart, both extending her record for the most number one's among women in the history of the chart. Underwood became the first female artist to score two number one hits on the Country Airplay chart in 2016. A fourth single, " Dirty Laundry", was released from the album in August 2016, eventually peaking at number two on the Billboard Country Airplay. ''Billboard'' ranked Underwood as the top female country artist for the year, and fifth overall. Underwood launched the Storyteller Tour, her fifth headlining tour, in January 2016, with a second half picking up in August. The tour played to over 1 million fans, completing 92 shows across 7 countries while being named by ''Billboard'' the top country tour for the first half of the year. She earned $26 million between 2015 and 2016, ranking among Forbes' list of highest-paid country music acts, and $20 million between 2016 and 2017, ranking on Billboard's Top 50 Money Makers list. In June 2016, Underwood received three nominations from the CMT Music Awards, taking home two honors for "Smoke Break", expanding her
CMT Music Award The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
total to 15—the most among all acts. She was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the American Country Countdown Awards in 2016, and also received the CMA Chairman's Award. In July, she picked up her fifth Teen Choice Award, for Choice Country Artist. Underwood also received two nominations from the Billboard Music Awards, including Top Country Artist. In September 2016, Underwood was the first artist to receive the ACM Lifting Lives Gary Haber Award, for her continuous work with charities. On October 20, 2016, Underwood was honored as one of CMT Artists of the Year, marking her third year to receive the award. Underwood received four nominations for the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards, including her first nomination for Entertainer of the Year. She walked away with Female Vocalist of the Year, her fourth time to win the award. She further received three nominations for the 2016 American Music Awards, including the top prize for Artist of the Year. She won Favorite Female Country Artist for the fourth time and Favorite Country Album (for ''Storyteller'') for the fifth time, expanding her record as the only artist to win the award for all albums released. Underwood was one of 30 artists to perform on "'' Forever Country''", a mash-up track of " Take Me Home, Country Roads", "
On the Road Again On the Road Again may refer to: Albums * ''On the Road Again'', a 1976 D. J. Rogers album * ''On the Road Again'', a 1978 Rockets album * ''On the Road Again'', a 1979 Roy Wood album * ''On the Road Again'', a 1989 compilation album by Canned ...
", and " I Will Always Love You" celebrating 50 years of the
CMA Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony ...
. The single debuted at number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs. In December 2016, she joined Keith Urban for a series of concerts in Australia and New Zealand. In January 2017, she received her ninth People's Choice award, winning Favorite Female Country Artist. Underwood received one nomination –
Best Country Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is design ...
– for her single "Church Bells" for the 59th annual Grammy awards. She and Keith Urban performed their new single, "
The Fighter ''The Fighter'' is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and stars Mark Wahlberg (who also produced), Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer M ...
", at the Grammy ceremony. Their joint single peaked in the top two of the Hot Country Songs and top twenty of the
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA. She received two nominations for the 52nd annual
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. She scored three more nominations for the 2017
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
in June, including Video of the Year for "Church Bells". She won Female Video of the year, extending her record for most wins in the show's history. Underwood scored two nominations for the 2017 Teen Choice awards, including Choice Country Artist, which she won for a third consecutive year. She received one nomination from the 45th annual American Music Awards in the Favorite Female Artist – Country category, which she won for the fourth year in a row, bringing her total to twelve American Music awards. In January 2017, Underwood took time off at the beginning of the year to spend time with family, and would then, possibly, begin to write for her next album. In March 2017, Underwood signed with
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
's Capitol Records Nashville after being with Arista Nashville for nearly twelve years. Madame Tussauds unveiled a new figure of Underwood when the Nashville location opened in April 2017.
Matthew West Matthew Joseph West (born April 25, 1977) is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has released five studio albums and is known for his songs "More", "You Are Everything", and " The Motions". He was nomin ...
collaborated with Underwood, who performed background vocals on the song "Something Greater" from his album, ''All In'' (2017). Underwood and Brad Paisley hosted the CMA Awards in November, marking their 10th consecutive year as hosts. Underwood again received a nomination in the Female Vocalist category, her twelfth nomination to date. She performed "
Softly and Tenderly "Softly and Tenderly" is a Christian hymn. It was composed and written by Will L. Thompson in 1880. Allegedly, when evangelist Dwight L. Moody was in the hospital barred from seeing visitors although Thompson had arrived, Moody insisted that ...
" as part of a tribute to the victims of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting, and the performance received widespread acclaim. Underwood released her second concert experience, The Storyteller Tour: Live from Madison Square Garden, on November 17. A few days after the 51st Annual Country Music Association Awards, Underwood sustained injuries in a fall at home that resulted in a broken wrist and several facial stitches. Underwood did not make any public appearances for several months following the incident.


2018–2019: ''Cry Pretty''

In January 2018, Underwood released " The Champion", a promotional duet single featuring Ludacris for Super Bowl LII. "The Champion" is Underwood's first under the pop genre. The song debuted at number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, powered by its launch at number three on the Digital Song Sales chart with 61,000 downloads. Underwood met songwriter/producer David Garcia in 2017, with whom she began co-producing her new album. Underwood returned to the stage for the first time since her accident and debuted her new single " Cry Pretty" at the 53rd Annual
ACM Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...
on April 15, where she received two nominations; she won the award for Vocal Event of the Year for "The Fighter" with Keith Urban. On May 11, she celebrated a decade of being an
Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a di ...
member. On May 13, Underwood returned to ''American Idol'', now rebooted on ABC, to mentor the top five of the season sixteen contestants. She performed "Cry Pretty", in addition to "See You Again" with the remaining top five contestants. On May 8, Underwood received four nominations and one win for the 2018
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
. She performed "Cry Pretty" at the ceremony in June and expanded her record as the artist with the most wins in the show's history. She received a nomination for Choice Country Artist and " Cry Pretty" received a nomination for Choice Country Song for the Teen Choice awards, winning Choice Country Artist and expanding her record for most wins in the category. On June 22, Underwood was honored with the Hero award from the Radio Disney Music Awards, in recognition of her humanitarian efforts. She and Ludacris performed "The Champion" together at the awards ceremony. Her sixth studio album, '' Cry Pretty'', was released on September 14, 2018. The same week, the album's second single was confirmed to be " Love Wins", with the music video debuting on September 11. ''Cry Pretty'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, setting several records upon arrival. Underwood is the first woman to hit the top of the Billboard 200 chart with four country albums. ''Cry Pretty's'' debut frame of 266,000 units is the biggest week for any album by a woman and a country album in 2018. This was Underwood's seventh consecutive album to debut at number one on the Top Country Albums chart. ''Cry Pretty''s debut week also marked the most first week streams by any female in country music at that time. The album finished 2018 as the best-selling solo female album and the seventh best-selling album overall, with over 401,000 copies sold. In February 2020, the album was certified Platinum. Underwood performed "Spinning Bottles", a song from the album, at the 46th annual American Music Awards on October 9, also winning one award for Favorite Female Country Artist. Brad Paisley and Underwood hosted the 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 14, 2018, where she picked up her fifth win as the CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year. The same month, Underwood announced she would kick off the
Cry Pretty Tour 360 The Cry Pretty Tour 360 was the sixth concert tour by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. The tour was in support of her sixth studio album ''Cry Pretty'' (2018), and began on May 1, 2019, in Greensboro, North Carolina and concluded o ...
in May 2019. As well as five other dates in United Kingdom arenas, it was announced that the leg of the tour would include a performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Underwood received one nomination – Female Artist of the Year – for the 54th
Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academ ...
taking place April 7. She performed with Chrissy Metz, Lauren Alaina, Mickey Guyton, and Maddie & Tae. She gave the debut performance of " Southbound", the official third single from the ''Cry Pretty'' album, during the show. Underwood further received two more nominations for the Billboard Music Awards, including Top Country Album for ''Cry Pretty'' and Top Female Country Artist, winning the latter, bringing her total career wins to 11. For the 2019
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
, Underwood's video for "Cry Pretty" received a nomination for Video of the Year and "Love Wins" received a nomination for Female Video of the Year, with the awards airing live June 5. Underwood performed "Southbound" at Centennial Park during the show's broadcast; the performance was free and open to the public. "Cry Pretty" won Video of the Year and "Love Wins" won Female Video, extending Underwood's lead as the most awarded artist in the show's history, and giving her a total of 20 CMT awards. On June 8, the official music video for "Southbound" premiered on Underwood's YouTube channel. On May 19, 2019, she returned to ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' to perform "Southbound" during the season's finale episode. On June 7, Underwood headlined the second day of CMA Music Fest in Nashville, where Joan Jett made a surprise appearance on stage. In July 2019, she performed at the Glastonbury Festival, as part of her Cry Pretty 360 Tour. Underwood co-hosted the 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards for her twelfth year, this time with
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
and Reba McEntire. She received her second nomination for Entertainer of the Year and debuted " Drinking Alone", the final single from the ''Cry Pretty'' album. Following the ceremony, Underwood announced she would be stepping down as co-host for the awards. On November 24, Underwood picked up two more American Music Awards, extending her record as the most-awarded artist in the Favorite Album – Country category with ''Cry Pretty''. In December 2019, Underwood was one of several artists who attended the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors; she paid tribute to recipient
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
by performing two of her songs.


2020–2021: ''Find Your Path'', ''My Gift'', and ''My Savior''

Underwood released her debut book, ''Find Your Path'', on March 3, 2020, went on a book tour, and appeared on television shows, including '' Rachael Ray''. She received two nominations for the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards; Entertainer of the Year and Female Artist of the Year. She later won the award for Entertainer of the Year; the win made her the most-awarded woman in that category. Underwood tied with Thomas Rhett, making it the first time in history two artists would share the award. For the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards, Underwood received two nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, her third year being nominated in the category. Underwood extended her own record for most wins in CMT Music Awards history; the video for " Drinking Alone" earned two awards including Video of the Year when the ceremony aired live on October 21. In August 2020, Underwood hosted her own Apple Radio Show, entitled ''XO Radio''. Her first Christmas album, '' My Gift'', was released on September 25, 2020. It was her record-setting eighth consecutive career-opening number-one album on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart, also debuting at number-one on the Top Christian Albums and Top Holiday Albums, and at number eight on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album later peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200. On December 3, 2020, Underwood starred in and executive produced a holiday special airing on
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...
, performing all of the songs from ''My Gift''. The album earned Underwood two number one songs atop the
Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...
chart and was the top-selling new Christmas album of the year. On September 24, 2021, a special edition of the album was released, containing three additional tracks, including a version of "Favorite Time of Year", which had been a number one hit for Underwood the previous year. On March 26, Underwood released '' My Savior'', a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
cover album.''My Savior'' debuted at number one on both of ''Billboard's'' Top Country Albums and Top Christian Albums charts, and number four on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
, marking her record-setting ninth consecutive number one. Underwood performed a virtual concert on Easter Sunday from the Ryman Auditorium, with over $100,000 raised for the charity ''Save the Children''. In December 2020, Spanish singer David Bisbal released his duet with Underwood, "Tears of Gold", featuring a music video that was filmed in Los Angeles. At the Latin American Music Awards of 2021 on April 15, Underwood joined Bisbal for the debut televised performance of the song in Sunrise, Florida; the pair were nominated for Favorite Video of the Year. At the
56th Academy of Country Music Awards The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards were held on April 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and broadcast from various locations around Nashville. The evening was co-hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton. Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton rec ...
, Underwood received one nomination for Video of the Year, " Hallelujah" featuring John Legend; she performed a medley of songs from ''My Savior'', with a guest appearance by CeCe Winans. The video for "Hallelujah" also received two nominations and one win at the
2021 CMT Music Awards The 2021 CMT Music Awards, the 55th edition of the awards ceremony, were held in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini were hosts of the ceremony. Background The CMT Music Awards are a fan-voted awards sh ...
. Underwood received four nominations at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, and one win, Top Christian Album, for ''My Gift''. Needtobreathe released "I Wanna Remember", a duet track with Underwood, and its music video in May. They gave the debut performance of the song at the CMT Music Awards in June. Underwood's
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
residency, ''Reflection'', launched in December 2021, in collaboration with Resorts World Las Vegas. Due to high demand, Underwood added six more shows, extending the residency through April 2022. Underwood collaborated with Dan + Shay on a cover of " Only Us" for the soundtrack album of the 2021 film adaptation of ''
Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a t ...
'' that was released as a single on September 3, 2021. She also appeared on the duet single " If I Didn't Love You", with Jason Aldean, the third collaboration of the year for Underwood. The single spent two weeks at number one atop the ''Billboard's'' Country Airplay chart. The pair debuted the live televised performance of the song at the 55th annual Country Music Association awards, where Underwood received a nomination for Entertainer of the Year. On November 21, Underwood scored two more wins at the American Music Awards, making her one of the most-awarded artists in the show's history. She and Aldean again performed their duet at the ceremony. In July, Underwood was the closing headliner at Nashville's ''CMA Summer Jam'', which included a performance with Dwight Yoakam, with the event airing in September in place of the canceled CMA Music Fest. In November, Underwood released "Stretchy Pants", a comedic holiday single benefitting the Nashville-based organization, ''The Store'', which provides free shopping for qualifying families. The same day, she was announced as a headliner for ABC's ''CMA Country Christmas'' special airing on November 29. On November 25, she performed "Favorite Time of Year" live from Nashville as part of
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States wit ...
. On December 1, Underwood was one of several performers for the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. She performed two songs, including "Let There Be Peace" from the '' My Gift'' album. Underwood received two Grammy nominations for the
64th Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
, winning one for Best Gospel Album for ''My Savior'' when they aired in April 2022. On March 7, Underwood won one ACM award, Single of the Year, for her collaboration with Jason Aldean, " If I Didn't Love You", also joining him to perform the song.


2022: ''Denim & Rhinestones''

On March 18, 2022, Underwood released a new single, titled "
Ghost Story A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature'' ...
", which she announced on social media on March 14. "Ghost Story" served as lead single from Underwood's ninth studio album, '' Denim & Rhinestones'', which was released on June 10, 2022.; The single peaked within the top 10 on the Country Airplay. On April 3, 2022, Underwood won the Grammy Award for
Best Roots Gospel Album The Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album has been an award category at the annual Grammy Awards since 2015 Grammy Awards, 2015. The award was first approved by the board of trustees of the Grammy Awards in June 2014. According to NARAS, th ...
. When speaking to the press a tearful Underwood expressed "I feel it's one of the most important bodies of work I've wanted to do literally my whole career, and I got to." She gave the debut performance of "Ghost Story" at the ceremony. At the 2022 CMT Music Awards, Underwood won in two categories, including Video of the Year, for " If I Didn't Love You" with Jason Aldean, continuing her run as the most-awarded artist in the show's history. She also gave the second live performance of "Ghost Story", while being suspended several feet above the stage. On April 30, Underwood headlined at Stagecoach Festival and performed with Axl Rose. On May 16, she announced the '' Denim & Rhinestones Tour'', which includes 43 cities and opening guest Jimmie Allen. Underwood was scheduled to perform on ''American Idol'' season 20's finale May 22; however, she was forced to cancel the appearance due to COVID-19 exposure within the band. On June 11, she headlined for day three of ''CMA Music Fest.'' ''Denim & Rhinestones'' opened at No. 10 on ''Billboard's'' Top Albums chart, moving 31,000 units and marking Underwood's tenth consecutive top ten album. It debuted at No. 2 on ''Billboard's'' Top Country Albums, marking ten top 3 albums from her career. At the end of June, Underwood made a surprise appearance at a Guns N' Roses concert in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, where she had been promoting the album. On July 15,
Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Appl ...
debuted its new Sessions EP featuring Underwood performing three songs, including "Ghost Story", " Blown Away" and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's "
Mama, I'm Coming Home "Mama, I'm Coming Home" is a power ballad by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne from Osbourne's sixth studio album ''No More Tears'', which first released on 17 November 1991. The song features Osbourne on vocals, Zakk Wylde on guitar, B ...
"; Underwood stated, "I have always been an Ozzy Osbourne fan and 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' is one of my all-time favorite songs." On July 30, Underwood took part in a tribute show for
Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artis ...
, performing "
I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" is a song written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, and recorded by American country music artist Barbara Mandrell. It was released in April 1981 as lead single from the album '' Barbara Mandrell Live''. ...
." Underwood received three nominations for the Country Music Association awards, including Entertainer of the Year, airing November 9, 2022. On September 16, Underwood joined several artists to honor
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
for a ''CMT Giants'' 90 minute special. On October 11, Underwood announced the second single from the album, “ Hate My Heart”, on social media, impacting radio October 31. The music video premiered November 2. She received two nominations for the 50th American Music Awards, airing Nov. 20, and was announced as a performer. She won the award for The Country Artist at the 48th People’s Choice Awards, airing December 6.


Artistry


Voice

Underwood has been highly acclaimed for her vocal talents. David Wild of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' has praised her voice, saying that "she can hit any note". Her vocal range has been described as "enormous", with critics highlighting her ability to hold notes for an extended period of time. '' Billboard'' describes her vocal ability as "freakish". Concert critics have pointed out that "she'll let loose with an improbably long note that runs through more octaves than you knew existed". When asked if it ever becomes difficult to belt at such high intensity during her 90–120 minute live shows, Underwood responded, "I'm too proud to drop keys. I won't do it. Maybe the older I get, I'll write some songs in lower keys so it'll be easier. I've always been pretty good as far as stamina onstage. Being able to work out and stay physically strong is important ... So far, it's worked for me. I'm just blessed at being able to be loud for long periods of time." Fellow country music singer Randy Travis paid high praises to Underwood's voice when asked about her cover of his 1988 hit song " I Told You So", saying that "her voice is so much better suited to the song. I have a
baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...
voice, and her
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261  Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...
voice really fits well with the range of the song. Her ability to get into the upper register of her voice and just hold those high notes is great." Her voice has also been praised as "versatile". She has performed live versions of
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
songs like " How Great Thou Art", in which ''
Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Mana ...
'' critics noticed her ability to move an audience with a "powerful performance", and Rock songs like Guns N' Roses' " Paradise City", with ''Rolling Stone'' critics saying it was a "standout performance", adding that "when the song reached its crescendo, the singer went right over the edge with it, twirling like a tornado and tossing in more than a few banshee wails" and even saying "if the original members of Guns N' Roses ever wanted to reunite without Axl Rose, they might be wise to ask Carrie Underwood to fill his bandana".


Influences

Underwood has credited "music as a whole" as her major influence, since she "grew up listening to ''music''" and "there were songs, different kind of songs coming at me from everywhere". She has mentioned rock acts like
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, Guns N' Roses, George Michael,
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
, and
My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist ...
as influences. In a 2014 interview Underwood spoke on the late Queen frontman, "I've always been a huge fan and lover of Freddie Mercury. I would listen to him when I was a kid. He could do so many amazing things with his voice. People like that — who had incredible voices — I was always drawn to." In July 2022 she joined Guns N' Roses on stage during their concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London where she performed with another of her idols, band frontman Axl Rose, saying after, "I've covered enough Guns N' Roses stuff, and it was people like him who taught me how to sing". Among
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
artists, she has listed George Strait,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
, Randy Travis,
Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and rel ...
, Reba McEntire, and Garth Brooks as influences. Although never publicly mentioning Faith Hill and
Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...
as musical influences, critics have linked Underwood's musical style to those of Hill and Twain. Her music is generally country pop with a rock influence similar to that of
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...
, as noticed by ''Rolling Stone''. She has also released songs with Christian music influence.


Legacy

Since her debut in 2005, Underwood has been praised by both veteran artists and music critics. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' describes Underwood as "the female vocalist of her generation of any genre", while '' Billboard'' magazine refers to her as Country Music's reigning Queen. Grady Smith of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' has praised her, saying "Carrie Underwood has emerged as the leader of country music". ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' listed her in their 100 most influential people in the world in 2014, in which Brad Paisley wrote "not only has she earned her place, she's also raised the bar: she's a prolific songwriter, a
trendsetter ''Trendsetter'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Coi Leray. It was released through Uptown Records, Republic Records and 1801 on April 8, 2022. The album contains guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Yung Bleu, Fivio Forei ...
and an Opry member", and further considers her to be "the best singer in any format of music."
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
has also stated: "The possibility of Carrie's longevity is through the roof. There are fine singers, and there are gifted, great singers, and she's one of those. Her vocal skills are off the hook". Melissa Etheridge also adds saying "she has a power in her country music, in her singing. She can crossover to Rock in a second". She has further received public commendation from
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
, Steven Tyler, Tony Bennett,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
, and Loretta Lynn. David Wild of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' has stated that "Carrie Underwood is the greatest thing that ''American Idol'' ever gave us". She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, for her achievements in music. Underwood has influenced pop girl group Fifth Harmony, singer
Mollie King Mollie Elizabeth King (born 4 June 1987) is an English pop singer, radio presenter and a member of girl group The Saturdays. As part of the Saturdays, King has had 13 Top 10 and eight Top 5 singles, including the UK number-one hit "What About U ...
of British pop girl group
The Saturdays The Saturdays were a British-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vaness ...
, singer
Kelsea Ballerini Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American country pop singer. She began songwriting as a child and signed with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, '' The First Time''. ...
, '' The Voice'' winner Danielle Bradbery, ''American Idol'' runner-up Lauren Alaina, and singer and actress Lucy Hale.


Awards and achievements

The most awarded country artist of all time, Underwood has been the recipient of eight Grammy Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, sixteen
Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academ ...
, seventeen American Music Awards, nine
Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony ...
, seven
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
, five CMT Artists of the Year awards, and twenty-three
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
, among others. As a songwriter, she has also received a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
nomination and won ten BMI Awards. Underwood was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, for her many accomplishments in country music, and into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2017, the highest honor one can receive from the state. In September 2020, Underwood won her third Entertainer of the year award from the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
, making her the first woman in history to do so. In December 2009, she was awarded the Harmony Award from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra for her achievements in music across many genres. In 2013, she received the Artist Achievement Award at the 38th Annual New York Honors Gala held by the T.J. Martell Foundation. In 2014, she was honored by the
Country Radio Broadcasters Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) is a non-profit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee created to promote the growth of country radio and the country music industry through educational programs. Its annual Country Radio Seminar serves as "ma ...
' Board of Directors with the CRB Artist Humanitarian Award at the 2014 Country Radio Seminar. Regarded as one of the most successful artists in any musical genre, Underwood has sold 70 million records worldwide, . The
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
recognizes Underwood as the sixth highest-certified female artist (all-genre) and the second highest-certified country artist of all time on its Top Artists (Digital Songs) ranking, with 46.5 million certified units. Underwood was also the highest-certified country album artist to debut in the 21st century (a record later surpassed). In the US, she has sold 20 million albums and over 40 million singles, making her the best-selling artist of the ''American Idol'' franchise, with ''Billboard'' calling her the ultimate ''Idol'' success story. ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' has declared Underwood the most successful American Idol winner of all time, with more albums sold and more revenue generated than any of the other contestants in the show's 15 seasons. Underwood experienced quick commercial success in the industry, with her debut album, ''Some Hearts'', becoming the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era, the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, the best-selling Country album of the last 14 years, and the best-selling album by an American Idol alum in the US. With her debut single, "Inside Your Heaven", she also broke ''Billboard'' chart history as the first country music artist ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100 and the song became the first song from a country artist to go to number one on the Hot 100 since country group Lonestar's " Amazed" did so in 2000. "Inside Your Heaven" is the only single by a solo country artist in the 2000 decade to reach number one on the Hot 100 chart. With the singles from her second album, '' Carnival Ride'', she became the first female country artist since
Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...
in 1995 to pull four number-one's from one album. In 2010, with the singles of her third album, '' Play On'', she achieved ten career number-one singles on the Hot Country Songs, an achievement for which she was named by the ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the female country artist with the most number-one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart (since accurate sales records were introduced in the US in 1991), tied with Reba McEntire. With such a feat, she became the only female artist in country music history to have eleven consecutive top two singles; at that time, she had twelve official country singles: ten number-ones. She also became the first woman to score ten number-ones on such a chart since Rosanne Cash in 1988. She then broke and expanded her ''Guinness Book'' record by scoring four more number-one singles on the Hot Country Songs between 2011 and 2014, for a total of fourteen number-ones. She is also the woman with the most number-ones in the history of the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay chart, having had 15 leaders. In October 2021, she scored her 16th number one on the Country Airplay, with the joint single " If I Didn't Love You." Underwood's first twenty-seven singles promoted to country radio all reached the top 10 of both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, the longest streak of top ten singles by a country artist from the start of a career. Since May 2011, Underwood is the Biggest ''American Idol'' Earner, with tour revenues and records sales combined. She is the fourth biggest album seller of the past 10 years in the United States. With her sixth studio album opening at number one on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, Underwood broke several records: she was the first woman to launch four country albums to number one there, as well as the first female country artist to top Billboard's The Artist 100 chart. In September 2018, Underwood received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for her numerous achievements in music. After taking home over 20 awards from 2006 to 2019, Underwood became the most awarded artist in the history of the CMT Music Awards. As of October 2018, she has a net worth estimated at US$200 million. She has been the top-earning ''American Idol'' alum of all time since 2014. At the turn of the 2010 decade, ''Billboard'' named Underwood the top female country artist and seventh overall country artist. She ranks, as per '' Pollstar'', among the thirteen all-genre top female touring artists of the twenty-first century, having sold over 4.3 million concert tickets and grossed around $265 million with her headlined tours. With ''Cry Pretty'', Underwood became the first and only artist in American Music Award history to have all six consecutive albums win the Favorite Album award.


Other ventures


Product endorsements

Underwood has had many endorsements throughout her career. She has signed multimillion-dollar deals with Skechers,
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
, Nintendo,
Olay Olay, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue. Ear ...
, Nicole by OPI, Hershey's, Almay and Dick's Sporting Goods. In 2005, Underwood appeared in a Skechers global advertising campaign. In 2007, Underwood appeared in Target advertisements promoting her album '' Carnival Ride''. The limited edition of the album which included a behind the scenes DVD was exclusively sold at Target. In 2008, Underwood worked with Nintendo for the launch of their Nintendo DS appearing in various television commercials. That same year, Underwood became the spokesperson for Vitamin Water starring in television and magazine advertisements. Underwood also hosts a guide to a healthy lifestyle on Vitamin Water's website. In 2010, Underwood became the spokesperson for the
Pedigree Pedigree may refer to: Breeding * Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals ** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart) ** Pedigree (anim ...
adoption drive. In 2011, she became the first celebrity brand ambassador for
Olay Olay, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue. Ear ...
skin care. Underwood has appeared in the global advertising campaign for their facial wash. In January 2014, Underwood signed a deal with Nicole by OPI to launch 14 new nail lacquers. In the same month, Underwood had signed a deal to serve as Almay's global brand ambassador, where she would appear in TV and print advertisements for the brand later that month. In March 2015, Underwood released a fitness clothing line named CALIA by Carrie Underwood. In collaboration with Dick's Sporting Goods, the line features clothing that is intended to be suitable for both active and casual wear.


Philanthropy

Underwood established the Checotah Animal, Town, and School Foundation in 2009. The foundation helps with general causes, needs and services in the area of Checotah to directly impact the community. "My hometown is extremely supportive of me and I feel blessed to be able to create something as a way of giving back; to say thank you", said Underwood. Underwood is a supporter of arts education. In 2009, Underwood's foundation "Checotah Animal, Town & School Foundation" and the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
foundation "ACM Lifting Lives" partnered to give students in Checotah, Oklahoma a gift valued at more than $120,000 in new instruments for their music programs. Underwood held a surprise concert at a local high school and then unveiled the gifts. The instruments will be shared throughout the Checotah school district and were ordered through Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs at a special philanthropic price. During the 2011 holiday season, her foundation donated $350,000 to the Checotah schools. Underwood is a supporter of animal welfare. Underwood is a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and has done several public service announcements for the organization. Underwood has also done a "Protect Your Pets" public service announcement for Do Something. In 2010, Underwood became the official spokesperson for the
Pedigree Pedigree may refer to: Breeding * Pedigree chart, a document to record ancestry, used by genealogists in study of human family lines, and in selective breeding of other animals ** Pedigree, a human genealogy (ancestry chart) ** Pedigree (anim ...
adoption drive. On March 29, 2010, Underwood and Pedigree partnered to donate $10,000 to a New York City Animal Shelter. In April 2011, Underwood opened the Happy Paws Animal Shelter in her hometown. On January 10, 2012, it was reported but had previously been blogged by Underwood herself on her official fan-site, that the singer rescued an abandoned dog along a highway. Underwood and her husband made a video for the "Do It for Daron" campaign urging young people to stop bullying. In July 2012, she publicly endorsed same-sex marriage. She told the British newspaper ''The Independent'', "As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love and want to marry", she said. "I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love." Underwood went on to say, "Our church is gay-friendly. Above all, God wanted us to love others. It's not about setting rules, or aying'everyone has to be like me'. No. We're all different. That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody." Underwood launched the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
Lifting Lives Temporary Home Fund in 2010. The Fund specifically benefits victims of the Tennessee floods of early 2010 and it was kicked off with grants that Underwood received from ACM as Entertainer of the Year. She also teamed up with Brooks and Dunn to support the new Fund by recording a Public Service Announcement (PSA). Underwood is involved with several organizations that benefit children. In January 2010, she partnered with Country Cares for St. Jude Kids visiting the
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, par ...
. In February 2011, Underwood donated $140,125 to
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
. This charitable initiative was inspired by the "36 cents" written in the lyrics of Underwood's album track "Change" on her album ''Play On'', which addresses how even the smallest bit of spare change that one might have can add up to make a difference and help "change" the world. Underwood is a supporter of the
United Service Organization The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
, Clothes off our back, and Habitat For Humanity. To benefit
cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate an ...
, in August 2008, Underwood joined Beyoncé,
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...
, Mary J. Blige,
Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
, and other female artists to record the song " Just Stand Up!" The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). As a result of their fund raising efforts, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award $73.6 million towards novel, groundbreaking research. The song peaked at number 11 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Songs. In 2012, Underwood donated $1 of every ticket sold on the North American leg of the
Blown Away Tour The Blown Away Tour was the third headlining tour by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, in support of her fourth studio album ''Blown Away (album), Blown Away''. This was Underwood's first worldwide tour, with the singer performing i ...
to the
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
and
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the des ...
. On May 24, 2013, Underwood donated $1 million in proceeds from her recent Blown Away Tour to the Red Cross for relief efforts in response to the Oklahoma tornado.


Acting

Underwood appeared on '' How I Met Your Mother'' in March 2010. She played the role of Tiffany, a medical sales rep that forms a relationship with Ted. This was the second highest rated episode for season five, gaining 10.48 million viewers. Brian Zoromski of IGN gave the episode 8.5 out of 10. He was surprised how well Underwood performed in her first acting role. A few months earlier, she appeared in an episode of the PBS
children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...
''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...
'', performing a
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
as "Carrie Underworm" a worm who sings a song about worm pride before an auto race Sesame Street is holding. Underwood made her film debut in ''
Soul Surfer A soul surfer (term invented during the 1960s) is a surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. Although they may still enter competitions, winning is not the soul surfer's main motive, since they scorn the commercialization of surfing. T ...
'' in April 2011. She played Sarah Hill, the church youth leader who helped
Bethany Hamilton Bethany Meilani Hamilton (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional surfer and writer who survived a 2003 shark attack in which her left arm was bitten off and who ultimately returned to professional surfing. She wrote about her exper ...
overcome the obstacles she faced after the shark attack. Underwood played Maria von Trapp in NBC's '' The Sound of Music Live!''. The three-hour telecast aired on December 5, 2013, partnering NBC with the producing team of Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. "To have a star like Carrie Underwood perform Maria in ''The Sound of Music'', and in such a very special and unique production, is exciting beyond words", said Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. "Part of the magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein is how their work has adapted itself to so many different incarnations, and I am certain the fresh spirit Underwood brings to her own songs will transition into exciting versions of the classic songs we all know and love."


Writing

Underwood released her debut book, ''Find Your Path'', on March 3, 2020, published by Dey Street Books. It became a ''New York Times'' best seller, debuting at number two on the How-To and Miscellaneous list. This book contains insight into Carrie's lifestyle and aims to help people find their lifestyle. This book also contains some of her favorite recipes.


Personal life


Marriage and children

Underwood began dating NHL player Mike Fisher after they met at one of her concerts in late 2008, and they became engaged in December 2009. According to the Canadian press, Fisher proposed in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
on December 20, 2009. Underwood's engagement ring features a yellow diamond and was valued at $150,000. On July 10, 2010, Underwood and Fisher wed at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, Georgia, with more than 250 people in attendance. The couple's first son was born on February 27, 2015. Their second son was born on January 21, 2019. Between the births of her two sons, Underwood had three miscarriages. In 2018, she told
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...
that this was the basis for her song "Cry Pretty", as "I would have these horrible things going on in my life, and then have to go smile and, like, do some interviews or, like, do a photo shoot or something". On February 11, 2011, an Ottawa radio station, 105.3 KISS-FM, stated that it would ban the playing of Underwood's music because her husband, Mike Fisher, was traded to the
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
the day before. Due to Underwood's fans' threats on Facebook to never tune into the radio station, the station later modified its statement. It apologized for its actions, saying that its statements were meant to be taken as a joke, as it does not play Underwood's country songs anyway, and it was its "tongue-in-cheek way of wishing Fisher the best of luck in Nashville." Fisher later criticized the station saying "obviously Carrie had nothing to do with the move or the trade or anything so to imply something like that was just wrong", and noting that both he and Underwood were disappointed in the negativity the radio station created. Underwood was selected by '' The Hockey News'' on its annual list of the 100 People of Power and Influence in Ice Hockey. For the 2012 list, Underwood ranked at number 85. In 2010, Underwood and Fisher bought a mansion on eleven acres near Ottawa in the luxurious Spruce Ridge district. The couple later put the mansion up for sale at an asking price of $2.2 million. In 2012, the couple bought a cottage outside of Nashville. They use the cottage for weekend getaways. Oprah toured the cottage and interviewed Underwood and Fisher there for their appearance on ''
Oprah's Next Chapter ''Oprah Prime'' (formerly ''Oprah's Next Chapter'') is an American prime-time television series hosted and produced by Oprah Winfrey, airing on Oprah Winfrey Network. The series premiered on January 1, 2012, with a two-part episode featuring Aer ...
''.


Personal interests

Underwood is a practicing Evangelical Christian, and is also an animal lover and a vegan.Carrie Underwood Shares Diet and Fitness Tips with SELF Magazine April 2012
, becomegorgeous.com
She stopped eating meat at the age of 13 because she could not stand the thought of eating one of her own animals. She was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA in 2007 for the second time, the first being in 2005 alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who was himself a vegetarian at the time. In a 2007 interview with PETA, Underwood stated, "Ever since I was little I loved animals ... If you told me I could never sing again, I'd say that was horrible, but it's not my life. If you told me I could never be around animals again, I would just die." In April 2022, Underwood shared the loss of her dog, Ace, whom she had adopted in 2007. In April 2013, Underwood spoke out with disapproval regarding the Tennessee "Ag Gag bill". The bill makes it a crime to videotape animal cruelty or abuse and then fail to turn in the evidence to authorities within 48 hours. This is to stop animal rights activists from accumulating enough documentation to prove that animal cruelty is routine in big agribusiness. Underwood tweeted, "Shame on TN lawmakers for passing the Ag Gag bill. If Gov.
Bill Haslam William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...
signs this, he needs to expect me at his front door. Who's with me?" State Rep. Andy Holt responded to her tweet, saying, "I would say that Carrie Underwood will stick to singing, I'll stick to lawmaking." Underwood later responded via Twitter, "I should stick to singing? Wow...sorry, I'm just a tax-paying citizen concerned for the safety of my family. #NoAgGag". She also tweeted Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, saying "Please don't sign the Ag Gag bill. Think about the welfare of the animals as well as the consumers. I'm begging you..." Underwood has stated that she has a great interest in sports. She has participated in the annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball tournament for charity for many years. The event takes place in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, and benefits research for life-threatening diseases. In 2005, she performed the " Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
and Detroit Pistons, and in 2006 at the NBA All-Star Game. She performed at halftime of the 2006 Thanksgiving Day football game at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, and was friends with
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
Tony Romo. She also performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the
NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world ...
between the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
and
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
in 2006, as well as at the 2006 edition of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
's Coca-Cola 600, the MLB All Star Game in Pittsburgh, and at Game 3 of the
2007 World Series The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American L ...
between the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
and Colorado Rockies. On February 7, 2010, Underwood performed the National Anthem for Super Bowl XLIV. Underwood has performed the opening theme song for '' NBC Sunday Night Football'' since 2013. Faith Hill, whom Underwood replaced, later expressed full support for Underwood, congratulating her via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and stating that it was "an awesome choice" by NBC/SNF and that Underwood "will rock it". Underwood's original song was a modification of her song " Oh, Sunday Night", but was changed to an original song, "Game On", for the
2018 NFL season The 2018 NFL season was the 99th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 53rd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 6, 2018, with the NFL Kickoff Game with defending Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia defeating ...
. She sang the National Anthem for the
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
prior to their victory over the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
in Game 3 of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs and prior to their victory over the
Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
in Game 2 of the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.


Discography

* '' Some Hearts'' (2005) * '' Carnival Ride'' (2007) * '' Play On'' (2009) * '' Blown Away'' (2012) * '' Storyteller'' (2015) * '' Cry Pretty'' (2018) * '' My Gift'' (2020) * '' My Savior'' (2021) * '' Denim & Rhinestones '' (2022)


Tours and residencies


Headlining

* Carrie Underwood: Live in Concert (2006) * Carnival Ride Tour (2008) * Play On Tour (2010–2011) *
Blown Away Tour The Blown Away Tour was the third headlining tour by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, in support of her fourth studio album ''Blown Away (album), Blown Away''. This was Underwood's first worldwide tour, with the singer performing i ...
(2012–2013) * Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round (2016) *
Cry Pretty Tour 360 The Cry Pretty Tour 360 was the sixth concert tour by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. The tour was in support of her sixth studio album ''Cry Pretty'' (2018), and began on May 1, 2019, in Greensboro, North Carolina and concluded o ...
(2019) * The Denim & Rhinestones Tour (2022–2023)


Residencies

* Reflection (2021–2023)


Co-headlining

* American Idols Live! Tour 2005 (2005) * Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour (2008) (with Keith Urban) * C2C: Country to Country with
Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those alb ...
(2013), with Miranda Lambert and Eric Church (2016) * Ripcord World Tour – Oceania leg (with Keith Urban) (2016)


Filmography


See also

* List of artists who reached number one in the United States *
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. country chart This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on the weekly country music singles chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From January 8, 1944 to May 15, 1948, the only country music chart was the Juke Box chart. A Best Sel ...
* List of best-selling music artists in the United States * List of ''Idols'' winners


References


Bibliography

* Tracey, Kathleen. ''Carrie Underwood: American Idol IV''. September 2005. Blue Banner Biography series (Juvenile)


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, Carrie 19 Recordings artists 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century Christians 1983 births Actresses from Oklahoma American country singer-songwriters American women country singers American women guitarists American women singer-songwriters American film actresses American Idol winners American television actresses Arista Nashville artists Capitol Records artists Country musicians from Oklahoma Country pop musicians Christians from Oklahoma Grammy Award winners Grand Ole Opry members Living people Northeastern State University alumni People from Checotah, Oklahoma People from Muskogee, Oklahoma Guitarists from Oklahoma Canadian Country Music Association Song of the Year winners 21st-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma United Service Organizations entertainers Women who experienced pregnancy loss